I began to add vegetables to my raw dog food; The reasons are as follows

Author: Please Oda 20 17/05/09

Yu Ling pet Zhongsheng

Editor's note: The author encourages the owner to feed raw food. However, based on the uncertainty of the safety of raw food feeding, it is an acceptable intermediate way to feed raw food after it is slightly cooked. Although slightly cooked meat is difficult to digest compared with raw meat, and its nutritional composition has also changed, it is still within the acceptable range compared with commercial grain which has been subjected to high temperature, excessive processing and excessive additives. Interestingly, in the comment area of this article, a reader who supports whole meat feeding made a long comment, and the author's answer to his comment was also very interesting. Bian Xiao will be presented in the follow-up push, so stay tuned.

For many years, I have been feeding my dog "hunting mode" food without vegetables or supplements (except fish oil). The result is very good; Feeding raw food is the best decision I have made for the health of my dog. But with more and more research, I began to examine the philosophy of "hunting mode" diet more strictly.

In this article, I want to break some myths and explain why I changed my philosophy and added vegetables to the raw food of dogs.

Dogs don't need to eat plants to survive? But plants are beneficial.

Dogs don't need vegetables or carbohydrates in their diet. This is almost everyone's understanding, including AAFCO and NRC-carbohydrates are not important for the survival of dogs.

But when I change my dog's diet to raw food, I hope to provide dogs with the best possible diet mode, not just to meet their minimum survival needs.

Eating something that is not necessary to sustain life does not mean that it is bad for your health. Although there is no evidence that vegetables are good for the health of dogs, there is no conclusive evidence that vegetables are harmful to health.

The benefits of vegetables to dogs

Vegetables provide nutrients such as vitamin C and vitamin K, but some minerals are not high in meat, bones and organs. Although dogs have their own ability to synthesize vitamin C and vitamin K, it is beneficial to add some to their diet. Vegetables and fruits are important sources of plant nutrients, antioxidants and cellulose.

A study shows that eating green leafy vegetables or yellow/orange vegetables at least three times a week will reduce the possibility of bladder cancer by 70-90%, but vitamin supplements do not show the same result. 1

Studies have shown that sulforaphane, an organic compound found in cruciferous vegetables, may have potential anticancer effects on canines. 234

Scutellarin is a kind of flavonoids existing in plant roots, and it has also become the research object because of its potential anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects.

Importantly, the concentration of these compounds found in vegetables is not enough to cure cancer, and these external studies cannot guarantee that cancer can be prevented or cured only by feeding vegetables. But the conclusion of these studies is that all fresh plants, including vegetables, contain beneficial nutrients, compounds and phytonutrients, which are potentially beneficial to the overall health of my dog (including ourselves), and these cannot be replicated by synthetic vitamin supplements alone.

Wild canines do eat some plants.

The common reason against adding vegetables to feed is that wild relatives of dogs don't eat plants. However, this is wrong.

A careful look at the past research shows that the research process is in winter, or concentrated on northern species, rather than an accurate description of the diet of all wild dogs; Because in these studies, it is obvious that wild dogs have no vegetables to eat, so the results show that they eat very few plants.

Other studies at different times show that in spring and summer, more kinds of food-yes, plants-are consumed by dogs. In addition, geographical location is also a huge factor.

Is the "hunting mode" diet an accurate description of the diet of wild dogs

The "hunting mode" diet composed of meat, bones and internal organs can not accurately explain the natural diet of wild canines.

Wild dogs also eat fur, feathers, hides, and come into contact with all kinds of internal organs, glands, and other things that are difficult or even impossible for us to provide to dogs, that is, by-products that are not in the "hunting mode". This means that unless the whole prey is fed to dogs, the "hunting mode" diet is likely to lack minerals and certainly consume less cellulose and crude fiber than wild dogs.

We should also take into account the difference in nutritional intake of wild dogs who mainly eat wild ungulates-in other words, they eat red meat of grass (I understand ungulates that are naturally scattered rather than fed with feed)-compared with the typical "hunting mode" diet-in other words, the "hunting mode" feeds mostly poultry raised in the traditional way. Bian Xiao: I think what the author wants to express is that wild canines will prey on wild herbivores and feed them in "hunting mode", mainly relying on free-range poultry.

Does the diet of modern wild dogs have anything to do with domestic dogs?

Studies have shown that the evolution of wild dogs is much more complicated than we used to think. The exact species of dog ancestors no longer exists. The genetic analysis of dogs and wolves shows that the relationship between dog breeds is closer than that between dogs and primitive ancestors-including the primitive dog breed Bashiji. eight

Genetic analysis also shows that dogs are more capable of producing digestive enzymes than wolves. nine

Amylase is an enzyme used to digest starch. This analysis shows that not only wild canines have the ability to digest starch, but also domestic dogs are more efficient than wild dogs in this respect. Therefore, although the digestive systems of dogs and wolves are similar, they are not the same as 100%-this difference should not be ignored. Of course, it depends on the breed-a visual hound like Saluki may be able to digest more starch, while a northern breed like Alaska cannot.

This means that we need to be reserved when we learn how to feed dogs by studying the diet of wolves. Although it is important to study the diet of dog ancestors, it cannot be simply used as a basis for determining the best diet for domestic dogs.

Based on the above reasons, it is short-sighted and inaccurate to take the wolf's diet as an authoritative and "guiding everything" policy to feed domestic dogs.

Myths, misunderstandings and logical errors in nutrition

The diet of domestic dogs should be based entirely on the diet of wild animals. This view stems from a logical fallacy, or "appealing to nature", that is, as long as it is natural, it must be good. This is a flawed argument. Such as canine distemper, rabies, scabies, malnutrition, trauma and parasites are all natural. Natural things don't mean that they are the best choice for dogs.

In the strict "hunting mode" feeding, dogs should not eat plants, because plants can't digest cellulose, but this is actually the result of lack of understanding of dog digestion and nutrition knowledge. Humans can't digest cellulose! Cellulose, as its name implies, is fiber; According to its definition, fiber is the indigestible part of plants.

Fiber is beneficial because it is not easy to digest. This should not be a reason to oppose adding plants to the diet of domestic dogs; Actually, it's just the opposite. Cellulose provides probiotics and fermentable substrates (small series: raw materials for fermentation reaction), which is helpful to improve the intestinal function of domestic dogs. A small amount of cellulose has been proved to be beneficial to the intestinal microbial health of dogs.

Moderation is the key

In many circles that advocate "hunting mode" feeding, there seems to be some misunderstanding-many people think that once it is suggested to add plants to the dog's diet, it is automatically understood that plants are a large part of the dog's diet. And this misunderstanding seems to have no concept of moderation at all.

This is far from the truth; The dog's diet should be mainly meat, and at the same time, plants should be used as a supplement to the meat diet. The diet can include vegetables, but it is still a "low-carbohydrate" diet. In the dog's diet, including a proper amount of vegetables (I add 10%) will not cause pressure on the dog's pancreas, nor will it cause the problem of nutrient absorption. What you have to worry about is a diet that contains a lot of grains and vegetables. For this reason, I don't recommend that the amount of vegetables exceed 30%, unless the dog's health does not allow it and there are medical requirements.

See what the experts say.

Steve Brown is the author of "Dog's Ancestral Diet" and "Seeing Spots and Longevity", the owner of Darwin's natural pet products, and is regarded by many as an expert in raw food feeding. He believes that raw food feeding should include plants. "Vegetables and other plants are part of the diet of dog ancestors. Vegetables provide essential nutrients, including fiber, minerals and vitamins. Without plant substances to provide these nutrients, it is necessary to supplement the whole meat diet. Vegetables also help prevent certain cancers. " If you want to know more about Steve Brown's theory about vegetables, you can go to this webpage:/Steve-Brown-Focus-On-Nutrients-Part1-Vegetables for Dogs/

Dr. Lewolson, the author of the book "Raw and Natural Nutrition of Dogs", said in his article (the link is as follows:/Steve-Brown-Focus-On-Nutrients-Part1-Vegetables-for-Dogs/): "Feeding vegetables may not be necessary, but they are beneficial and can be provided.

Dr Karen Baker is a famous expert on raw food. In her article (/Sites/Healthy Pets/Archive/2014/08/31/pet-fertilized-vegetables.aspx), she said: "Vegetables are very important to the health of pets. Dogs need plants because they contain nutrients (such as powerful antioxidants) that other foods, such as meat and bones, cannot provide. Wild dogs, wolves and hyenas eat grass, berries, wild fruits and vegetables to get important nutrition. "

CatLane, a dog nutritionist, also thinks that vegetables should be included in the dog's diet. "Recently, people have realized that excessive intake of carbohydrates has led many people to think that all carbohydrates are unwelcome, and these excluded substances, unfortunately, include fruits and, more importantly, vegetables." (/vegetable dog)

How to add vegetables to raw food?

It is easy to add vegetables to a dog's diet. Vegetables should be processed into forms that are easier to use and bioavailable. You can chop it up, cook it or grind it into mud with a food processor. Because cooking consumes some nutrients, I prefer to use food processing to process vegetables. The mixture is then frozen to facilitate feeding.

Source: original text

Source: original text

Green leafy vegetables, such as kale, beet, spinach (small series: use with caution, oxalic acid is too high), arugula, coriander or mustard can all be selected. Broccoli, green beans, green peppers and carrots are also good choices. Blueberry, cranberry, papaya, pineapple, raspberry and other fruits are rich in antioxidants, but the sugar content is high, so you should eat them in moderation. Starch vegetables such as sweet potatoes are a good choice for some dogs, but if your dog doesn't need to gain weight, eat as little as possible (Bian Xiao: The calories are much smaller than rice and white corn, so enjoy! )。

I still feed in the "hunting mode" and only add some vegetables-70-75% meat, 10% bones, 5- 10% vegetables/fruits and 10% internal organs. I like this ratio.

Conclusion:

Do dogs need to eat plants to survive? No, absolutely not. But what about adding healthy vegetables to raw food? I personally agree, but the decision is in your hands. Every dog is different.

Reference source:

1/doi/ 10. 1 1 1 1/VCO

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7m unity. com/2065 438+07/05/09/ I started adding vegetables to my raw dog food-why/

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